Service as the Highest Good
Kaimkaryaśrī (from kaimkarya = service + śrī = the beautiful, the good, the prosperous) is the concept that the experience of serving Bhagavān and his devotees is itself the highest form of prosperity and well-being. The kainkaryam — the act of service — is not a duty separate from joy but joy itself.
This concept appears in the Āzhvār songs constantly: Nammāzhvār declares that even the smallest act of service — fanning, cleaning, offering a flower — is worth more than all the pleasures of Svarga (heaven) or the powers of liberation conceived of as mere cessation of suffering.
Kaimkaryaśrī in the Tiruvāymozhi
Nammāzhvār's songs on kainkarya (especially in the 8th and 9th centums of the Tiruvāymozhi) articulate the longing for service in Vaikuṇṭham. The famous verse «aṭiyār aṭiyār aṭiyārai aṭiyēṉ» — "I am the servant of the servants of the servants of your servants" — expresses the Āzhvār's delight in the kaimkarya hierarchy: serving those who serve those who serve the Lord.
In Daily Life
Kaimkaryaśrī motivates the Sri Vaishnava approach to all acts of service:
- Tiruvarādhanam (home worship) is service to the Lord
- Cooking and offering food (naivedyam) is service
- Visiting and serving fellow bhāgavatas (devotees) is the highest form of service
- Contributing to temple activities and the Divya Desam maintenance is service
All these are expressions of kaimkaryaśrī — the wealth of service.